We've been to Rileys fairly often and the food is always excellent. Service is always excellent. Atmosphere is always excellent. We're going back tomorrow because we enjoy it so much! We've had the tuna tartare, the clams, the awful awful steak (their name for it), the tuna salad, the wings, the salmon, the burger... Loved everything we ever ordered here. You can get a decent glass of wine or a beer. That's usually what we stick to. There's also a full bar if that's how you roll! Parking is usually fine along the seawall. There are a few spaces by the door but we never take them. There's a nice patio when the weather is nice and you can look out on Long Island Sound. There's a lot of activity by the seawall if you're into people and dog watching also. It's a great spot and I'm glad we're returning soon! read more

Great location but the food has gone downhill. There were four of us in the party and everyone was dissatisfied. I ordered salmon on an entree salad and they omitted the cucumber, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, raisins and tomoto's. I counted 2 craisins. My friends lobster mac made her feel sick. The other two meals, fish and chips and burger were cold. We won't return here. read more

The service was amazing. Our waitress was very helpful. The restaurant is decorated like crazy for Christmas with a shed outside with a tree, and bench and a shot machine! The food is really good! I loved the deviled eggs, steak and the fruit fondue for dessert. The drinks are amazing too! The Mac and cheese was good but could have been more cheesey. Other than that this place was great! read more

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What a fun night at Miracle at Riley's!!! The decor is so beautiful and fun. Service was amazing. Our party of 4 had garlic Parmesan wings and calamari as appetizers. The wings were crispy and flavorful, calamari had a light batter but fairly small portion. Fish and chips were perfectly cooked. The NY strip was plentiful and the Lobster Mac and cheese was full of lobster and filling. Check this little place out, it is excellent! read more

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Had lunch today outside by the wall. Braden was both our host and server. Johnny ordered the double fried wings (mango habanero) and I had a salad with feta cheese. We had amazing service but a couple hiccups with the food. Johnnys wings came out barely luke warm and my salad had almost no feta. Braden took the wings back to the kitchen and brought me a bullet of feta cheese. After this, we enjoyed our lunch. It's a super cute restaurant across from the beach. We enjoyed watching the sail boats and other boats on the water along with the lovely breeze. We come here frequently, so don't worry about the hiccup with our food lol. Normally it's spot on. read more

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We had a reservation for 5 on a Sunday evening, it was a bit overcast but started to warm up as the evening went on. We sat on the patio, which was really nice. Great view of the water. Our server was great, she was quick to get our orders in. We got a few fish and chips orders and also a lobster roll, and the pasta marinara for the kid. All were tasty -- the fish and chips was good, though a tiny bit oily inside. Still, very tasty. Live music started at 6pm, and we got to enjoy that on the tail end of our night. Really fun times. read more

We love this place and the food is delicious ! Especially the Lobster Mac & Cheese, it's my boyfriend's favorite!

Amazing service and vibes!! My friend and I came in at 7:30pm on a Thursday night with no reservation, hoping to squeeze ourselves in at the bar. But they ended up moving stuff around and giving us a table, sooo sweet of them! That was just the start of good service, our server (didn't catch her name) was super sweet and kind! She also had these cool Christmas bulb earrings. This review is solely based on their miracle of christmas vibes, but the decorations are amazing!! Definitely a place to grab a drink and food if you want to get festive. They have a bunch of holiday drinks in cool glassware, and it's pretty good price (~$15) for what you get. The food was good, definitely not amazing, but when you come here it's more for the energy and decor than it is for the food. My friend got the beef stew which was yummy and I got the penne alla vodka, just okay needed more salt. Overall, I would definitely come here every holiday season! Note: definitely try to make a reservation! read more

Was served lukewarm 'broiled cod' outside on the hot patio with smelly, rotting side of vegetables. Really awful-they didn't even take the dish away. Really excruciatingly slow, spacey, unapologetic service. Also they are cleaning the tables with a spray, spraying everything (edible) within a few feet. Really unappetizing all around. Also separately, ordered a frozen daiquiri. Tasted like chemicals- completely not identifiable, the "fruit" flavor. Really, do not go here. read more

Came here with my sister during their Miracle At Riley's by the seawall Christmas-themed pop-up Cocktail bar. The backstory to the history behind this is touching. In November of 2020 Yoon Hee Lee was Diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast cancer. She wanted to decorate Riley's, so she would have a happy place to go to while going through her Battle with Breast Cancer. Each Year since, she Continues to lead the way in decorating the Restaurant, Bringing Miracle at Riley's to Life, with this being the 4th yr. To eat, I tried their Margherita flatbread, penne ala vodka with chicken. For drinks, I had the Christmapolitan and Koala LaLaLa. The flatbread had a nice crisp to it and was very flavorful and delicious. The chicken in my penne was hard to bite, the small pieces on the edges were good. I packed it to go but couldn't save it by trying to cook it at home, ended up tossing the chicken. The vodka sauce tasted good with pieces of bacon for flavor. My Koala drink reminded me of a mojito, as it was very light, carbonated, and garnished with a mint leaf; Really cool that it came with a keepsake koala souvenir. My christmapolitan was bursting with flavor, I'd definitely go for another. The cookies we chose for desert were made in house but were very mid, nothing spectacular worth mentioning. This place is very hard to get into, so I highly encourage you to make a reservation. It was a nice experience. This motivated me to step up my decorating next holiday season! read more

A fellow Yelp Elite Susan R. & me were talking about restaurants we want to try @ the Yelpies. She mentioned she had reservations to Riley's by the Seawall. I told her I've been wanting to go there. She said there's a Christmas pop-up. I then knew I had to try it before the Christmas pop-up was gone. Susan R. gave me the info to RSVP. Most dates & times were booked but I did find a reservation for 12/26 @9pm. I had no other choice so I booked it for 2. Of course, I brought my sister when the day came. I loved the Christmas decorations! I was taking pictures of the wall art paintings. Yoon Hee Lee approached me ( I didn't know it was her @ the moment)& told me,"I hand painted that myself. Thank you,thank you so much for taking photos. It makes me so happy to see you love it." I told her, "I do love it! You do a great job!" I know Yoon Hee Lee's backstory due to my sister. Yoon Hee Lee has been decorating Riley's during Christmas since 2020 after being diagnosed w/ breast cancer. She made it her happy place after her treatments. That's how Miracle @ Riley's became(Christmas pop-up name). It was extremely busy at the check-in desk. I was worried we would be waiting long but we(my sister & me)didn't. We got seated quickly b/c we had a reservation. Our waitress came & took our drink orders. I ordered a water w/ lemon & a Koala Lalala. My drink came w/ a cute koala(keepsake) hugging the straw. It came in a cool glass w/ Santa surfing. It tasted like a mojito. The food menu was very limited. I picked out what I wanted before hand online but it wasn't the same menu. I was a little bummed but still chose something else!For dinner, I wasn't too hungry so I ordered the shrimp tacos w/ just cheese only. Minus the pickled red onions & Cole slaw.They only had Parmesan cheese. My sister ordered margherita flatbread(appetizer) & penne a la vodka w/ chicken (which she shared a little bit w/ me). My food was ok. I just ate the shrimp. The bread was really thick on the tacos. My sister's margherita flatbread was so good. The cheese tasted fresh & the sauce was scrumptious. The penne was delicious. The sauce was very creamy & yummy. The chicken on the other hand was not fully cooked & tough. We ordered the homemade cookies for dessert. They were mediocre. The waitress was very sweet & tried her best. Restaurant was very busy & packed. She had numerous tables including ours. Special shoutouts to Susan R., my sister, our waitress, Yoon Hee Lee, & Riley's By the Seawall! Overall,this was a cool experience! read more

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Killer viewGreat serviceAmazing food Riley's by the Seawall is fabulous! Not to mention the perfect date night spot! Located right across the street from the seawall, you're not going to get a better view. The staff is great too- super friendly, attentive, and polite. Now on to the important stuff... the food. They offer a variety of fresh seafood options and american classics. We started off with a cup of calm chowder which was just *muah* DELICIOUS! Then moved on to our main course- the lobster roll. This guy was deceiving to say the least. When they first came over I thought, "hmm okay not huge" but after taking the first bite I was shocked with how much lobster there was. The roll was jam packed with warm, perfectly prepared, lobster! I couldn't believe it! And all for the right price! Riley's, you've outdone yourself Thank you! read more

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Suzy and I tried this place for the first time today and we are so pleased we did. It's a great little spot overlooking the water. The food is delicious and the staff is great.. read more

Riley's By the Seawall - Schnitzel with red cabbage and spaetzal. - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

My fiancée and I stopped by Riley's for a little oceanfront dinner date, and the setting couldn't have been better--a gorgeous night with a full moon rising over the water. Seriously, chef's kiss for the atmosphere. We sat outside, took in the view, and kicked things off with a rum punch. Super refreshing and just the right amount of tropical--though I wouldn't have minded a little extra kick in the booze department. I went with the lobster mac and cheese (because, how could I not?). It was decent, though a bit on the dry side, and the lobster was kind of playing hide and seek. I would've happily paid a few extra bucks for a bit more of the good stuff. We shared the piña colada cheesecake for dessert--fun in theory, but the execution leaned more cheesecake, less piña colada. Still tasty, just didn't quite deliver the island vibes we hoped for. Service was wonderful, super friendly and efficient, and the overall experience was pleasant. Riley's has the location and the charm--it just didn't wow us on the food front. A nice night out, but not a "run back tomorrow" kind of place. come for the view, stay for the vibes. read more

Located right on the seawall bordering Long Island Sound at Lordship Township in Stratford, Connecticut, I stopped by for drinks in November 2024. I was looking at how Lordship Township had changed in the six-plus years since I last visited. Riley's was a well-loved restaurant back in the day, and for this visit I found the same positive energy that I recalled from long ago. The patrons and bar staff were all friendly, conversations could be heard without having to raise the voice, and drinks were reasonably priced. I wish I could have stayed for dinner, but the visit was a good one. read more

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Wonderful setting on a beautiful summer evening. Right on the water. My wife had the Lobster roll which was filled with warm claw meat in a brioche bun, delicious. I had Kens fish and chips which was fried to perfection. Which leads me the Clam Casino. Simply put they were the BEST i have ever had!! I would go back to order two of these Casino as my dinner. Service was fantastic, attentive and on the money time wise. Arrive early for parking about the seawall. Highly recommended! read more

What a beautiful place , definitely a hidden gem .. the view is breathtaking , drinks were great and the vibe in the place is amazing . We plan to go back once we don't have time to try the food , but the place is adorable . read more

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Riley's is a MUST visit for the upcoming holidays! The restaurant is beautifully decorated with ornaments and wrapped gift boxes hanging from the ceiling, and playing Christmas tunes. Great for the whole family. They also have beautiful murals to theme on all of the walls that are hand painted by the owner's wife. They are very kind people and the service was exceptional. I really enjoyed the food - my favorites being the stuffed oysters, bacon wrapped scallops, penne alla vodka and the chocolate fondue with fruit. My only critique is the lobster mac and cheese was a bit bland in flavor. Their cocktails are so fun - they are all themed for the month of December and come in some crazy unique mugs (some pictured with my review). read more

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We went to Riley's by the seawall with a reservation for the Christmas pop up. The decorations are beautifully done and you can tell they put their heart into the decor :-) it was a beautiful way to begin the season. The fancy drinks were good- I wish my egg nog was larger. The apps were plentiful and tasty. My shrimp tacos were delicious! Great location near the water! Service was great! Tables are very close together. Instagram @date_night_craves read more

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Great spot for delicious fresh seafood with views of the water. I had the lobster roll. Fries are so good! The roll of the lobster was great too. I believe it is brioche. read more

Back for our annual lunch on the patio and it was great as always. Midweek it was empty even on such a hot day w a cool breeze off the water. Hummus app was delicious as was my Seafood Cobb salad with a generous portion of real crab and several large shrimp. Plenty of VEGAN options too. Great service by Ava! read more

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Service and the atmosphere plus Happy Hour hard to beat. Wings and drinks with a breeze

Seems to be a bar only kind of place, cause the food has gone to shit. We were here 2025 Memorial Day weekend at about 7PM on a Sunday night (3 day weekend!) and the place was empty except for the inside bar which has a few professional partyers who soon cleared out. I had recalled the scallops with truffle/mushroom risotto was really a great call, but it seems they updated the menu, dropped the "truffle" and .... all of the flavor. The scallops were nearly black (not blackened) and the other side was untouched. I know you are supposed to cook like a fried egg... mostly on one side, then a touch on the other. Not the case here, chef was not minding the food, and seemingly left them for too long.... and there was no one else in the place eating but us. Risotto had zero flavor. This feels like a seasonal place, so I guess its hard to get career professionals for the kitchen, or perhaps owners know people are their for the view and the alcohol, so food is an afterthought? Come enjoy the view, take a stroll down for food. read more

Amazing view, food, and vibe. The place to be on a beautiful day. Our server, Erin was excellent! read more

An annual tradition gets better every year! I love coming to Riley's year-round but everything is "extra" at holiday time :-) Going to see all the Christmas decorations and enjoy specialty cocktails and food has become a family tradition for us. Reserve early and book a seat for everyone in your party to enjoy the dining room decorations and fresco. The bar is also a ton of fun with friends and you may be lucky to spot the amazing owner who dresses the part every year and circulates to make sure everyone is having a good time (and they are!) Chef Dave and the talented bartenders will not disappoint. My favorites are the Christmapolitan and bacon wrapped scallops. Enjoy! read more

Riley's By the Seawall - Christmapolitan - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Miracle at Riley's by the Seawall create such a fun and festive atmosphere for dining. It's not the holiday season without a visit or two! (Just be sure to make a reservation.). The lobster mac-n-cheese was stellar as always! read more

The view from the outdoor patio is everything you want from an ocean view with a street between the patio and ocean. The outdoor patio was shaded which made it much more comfortable to eat on a sunny and humid day. I highly suggest reservation if you want to eat at a comfortable dining table and chairs with backs. Since we didn't have a reservation we either had an option of inside the restaurant or the area with high tops, counter and stools. We did not want to wait 45 minutes for a table so selected the high top and stool. We started with cocktails. A lemon drop for me made with Deep Eddy's Lemon vodka. Perhaps getting a cocktail rimmed with sugar to sip on outdoors on a September New England wasn't the brightest idea? You think? The wasps loved the drink as much as me that I had another. The drink was stellar and after a second I had a buzz on. The lobster roll was served in a split short fat hot dog-like roll. As other reviewers have stated the roll isn't very large so you aren't getting much lobster although the menu states 5 oz? I've had more lobster in a roll where a restaurant said 4 oz but I digress. I had the CT style which is served warm but this was more than a tad not warm. Had drawn butter not been served on the side for me to "warm" up the roll I would have liked it less. The bun was sturdy and held up as I ate it. Inside of fries I opted for a salad which did not have a surcharge. I was asked if I wanted house or Caesar. I went with house and was happy with the salad and dressing. My husband had the fried fish sandwich which came with fries. He enjoyed it along with one Rum Punch. Guess who was driving after lunch? The food was ok, view and drinks very good and the staff was friendly with smiles abound. Our waitress was sweet and gave us good service. read more

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A truly beautiful, sunny day in New England and we decided to take a ride to Stratford, Connecticut. Fortunately, the atmosphere of an outdoor seating area across from the beach was very appealing and made the frustrating ride trying to find our way to the restaurant tolerable. Stratford is a rather unremarkable area. This ordinary seafood restaurant wasn't too busy. It's decor was bright and friendly as was the service. Overall, the vibe of the place was passable. Since there is a decent variety on the menu, we settled on Riley's salads which were average and a forgettable lobster roll. It seemed that many of the few customers that were there were all having the lobster roll and we were hoping for the best. The ocean view and sea breeze is what honestly made our lunch a fun and relaxing experience. We were also very fortunate to find a parking space as I can imagine on the weekends, spots are hard to come by. read more

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Visited on a Saturday night to check out the holiday decor. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint! The restaurant was so warm, inviting, and festive. The holiday spirit was alive and in full force, everyone was so friendly and happy. Our waiter was awesome (shame on me for not getting his name) The festive drinks were all Great, my husband had the shrimp tacos which he devoured; in his words "I will never have a taco on a tortilla again!" I had the lobster Mac in cheese which included a whole lobster tail, I basically licked the plate clean it was so good! We will definitely make the a yearly tradition. read more

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We chose this place specifically because it was listed as "Pets Welcome". After being seated at a table on the outdoor patio with our well-behaved dog, we were suddenly told that dogs are not allowed -- on the patio. Seriously? You advertise as pet-friendly and then turn people away after seating them? Completely unprofessional and misleading. We were embarrassed and had to leave mid-visit. If you're not truly pet-friendly, don't advertise that you are. Extremely disappointing experience. We won't be back. read more

Visiting from out of town. Parking was a challenge but eventually got one. They have indoor and outdoor seatings. Outdoor seatings have a beautiful view of the water. The service was wonderful. The food did take a little long to come out but we enjoyed the company, music, and fun drinks while we waited. We absolutely loved most of the dishes. Both naked wings and garlic parmesan wings were delicious and perfectly cooked. The naked wings did have a spice rub which gave a little kick. The crab dip was solid. The hot peel and eat shrimp was delicious but a little messy to eat. For the entrees, seafood cobb was good but opted for a different dressing. The Kale salad was nice and light but on a small side. Two people ordered chicken chest club and loved them. The disappointment was the lobster mac and cheese. Overall, a great experience. We have requested to go back again in our future visits. read more

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Great views, excellent service, a menu with variety and delicious drinks. We really enjoyed the spicy margaritas and Mango Mojito. The lobster Roll was very good and the fries were perfectly crispy. The espresso martini was a little watery but still tasty. The patio is so perfect on a clear day with the nice ocean breeze. read more

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Family and I enjoyed our time at this restaurant. It was decorated for Xmas and holiday drinks were served. All of the drinks we ordered were good. One of the drinks came in a dinosaur cup. It was a fun time. For appetizers we ordered calamari and chicken wings. For our meal we ordered steak, pasta with shrimps, Mac and cheese and fish and chips and they were all good. As busy as they were service was great! There was a slight delay with appetizers but multiple people kept us up to date and got our food shortly thereafter. It was so much fun sitting in a restaurant with so much Xmas decorations! And all of the staff wore Xmas sweaters. read more

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This was our second time coming to this location first time was absolutely amazing service and food phenomenal ; today we decided let's take the 130hr drive back well when I tell you it was the biggest mistake holy crap so we sit we order our beers came out quick we order our food I order same salad I had last cause it was divine we begin eating and my boyfriend noticed a clump of hair I believe it was it didn't belong in the salad mind you were half way in the salad we attempt to tell the man who brought the food out his reply was "damn that's crazy" cool we called for our waitress Marissa ( who was phenomenal btw) show her she absolutely apologized takes it back we ordered more beers as we wait idk if he was the manager or what with a white shirt comes to us to say he apologized but that all his cooks are " Black" so he doesn't know what happen to me if felt as if he was implying we placed it there which was outrageous as we have eaten here before hence why we went back I've never been so disgusted our food then came out and honestly I was absolutely disgusted and didn't want to eat he must have seen we didn't touch the food and came out with a shot of Jameson which he said it cures all bad days something like that which we took but to think after that it's all okay is mind blowing we also were charged full for meals we didn't touch and my bf took as he didn't know what to do in this situation cause we have never had this happen and we eat all over Connecticut I will absolutely never return which is sad as o said the food our first time was phenomenal but if your going to make guest feel as if they placed something in their meal is disheartening to me . Thanks for the shot but no it doesn't cure feeling nauseous the whole way home read more

Riley's By the Seawall - You can see hair on rim of plate as I said it was a great salad you can tell we put a dent in but to find hair is disappointing - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Place has terrible food and drinks, only good thing about this place is the views. Little pub next door is amazing go there instead

We came here for lunch as we had family visiting and wanted to take them by the water. The location is great, and the views are lovely. That's kind of where the positives ended for us. The menu wasn't very impressive... Our waitress didn't check on us after taking our orders. The fish and chips were ok - 3 of us got it, and it was good just too heavy to finish. 1 got the lobster Mac and cheese, and that was the best option. It was good. My BIL got the shrimp plate; and he said it really wasn't that good. It was cold by the time it was brought to the table. Overall, meh experience. Since the food options weren't that great, we probably wouldn't return for meals read more

Awful! What happened to genuine customer service!!!! Deplered any beautiful view experience! Don't go there!

Scenery outside is beautiful. The food was very good, and the Riley's punch was delicious.

I have gone to Riley's twice now and each time its had a different theme and its own complete vibe. Both times have been awesome! My first time was this past December--it was a Christmas spectacular! Holy smokes. We grabbed a seat at the bar and it was a magical holiday experience. I tried the pretzel and it was awesome. I also tried several holiday themed drinks. They had a special menu for that. If you are around in December, definitely head to Riley's. Now the complete summer turn around- they have an awesome outside patio complete with flowers and palm trees that has all sorts of fun beach drinks including the super fun beach bucket drink I tried last week. We sat out on the patio and my friends tried some delicious salmon nuggets, a salad and a shrimp flatbread. All of their dishes were amazing. This place is a pretty sweet spot that embraces the seasons and that makes life a little more fun. And don't we all need a little more fun in our lives these days? Thanks, Riley's. Mission accomplished. P.S. If you have a Halloween set up--let me know! I'd support that 100%! read more

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Went here with three friends to experience the Miracle pop up. The decorations are great but that's all the good things I have to say. The food was mediocre and our server was inattentive. We had to flag her down multiple times to place food and drinks orders. Won't be back. read more